Gayndah
| pop_footnotes = | est = 1849 | elevation= 106 | coordinates= | latd =25 |latm =38 |lats =0 | longd =151 |longm =36 |longs =0 | pushpin_label_position = left | maxtemp = 28.2 | mintemp = 13.6 | rainfall = 766.9 | stategov = Callide | fedgov = Flynn | dist1 = 328 | location1=Brisbane | dist2 = 150 | location2=Maryborough | dist3 = 163 | location3= Bundaberg }} Gayndah Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3 is a town located on the Burnett River in Queensland, Australia. It is north of the state capital, Brisbane, and west of the regional city of Maryborough. The Burnett Highway passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Gayndah had a population of 1,745. History Exploration of the Gayndah area began in 1843. The first European settlers arrived in 1848, and the town was established in the following year. A post office was established at Gayndah in 1850.New South Wales Government Gazette, 19 January 1850, cited by Frew, Joan (1981). Queensland Post Offices 1842–1980 and Receiving Offices 1869–1927, p. 277. Fortitude Valley, Queensland: published by the author, ISBN 0-9593973-0-2. Agriculture and grazing have been the dominant industries of the area. The town is the centre of Queensland's largest citrus-growing area. The Gayndah Orange Festival is held every two years to celebrate this industry. Gayndah was considered for the capital of Queensland, but lost to Brisbane because the river was not deep enough, making it impossible for large cargo ships to unload near the town. Gayndah is the oldest official town in Queensland. The explorers Archer and James Charles Burnett established it in 1847. The town's information centre is located inside a man-made orange. The name Gayndah is of Aboriginal origin and comes either from Gu-in-dah (or Gi-un-dah), meaning 'thunder', or from Ngainta, meaning 'place of scrub'.Reed, A. W. (1973). Place Names of Australia, p. 102. Sydney: A. H. & A. W. Reed. ISBN 0-589-07115-7 In 1872, the town was the location where the hoax fish Ompax spatuloides was supposedly procured. Another famous hoax is the story of the Gayndah Bear, a black bear said to be wandering around the banks of the Burnett river. The Gayndah Bear was first sighted in the late 1950s and again in 2000. Heritage listings Gayndah has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Capper Street: Gayndah War Memorial * 20 Capper Street: Court House, Gayndah * 28 Capper Street: Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery * 32-34 Capper Street: Gayndah Shire Hall * Fisher Avenue: Gayndah Racecourse * 33 Meson Street: Gayndah State School * 8 Simon Street: Brick Cottage * Mungar-to-Monto railway line: Rail Bridge (Humphery) File:GayndahWarMemorial.JPG|War memorial File:GayndahCourtHouse.JPG|Court house File:GayndahTownHall.JPG|Town hall Climate |date=February 2011}} Notable residents Jessica Anderson, who won the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1978 and 1980, was born in Gayndah. Rachel Koster, an independent Australian singer/songwriter, is from Gayndah.http://www.abc.net.au/widebay/stories/s2059584.htm Cultural facilities Gayndah has a public library, the Gayndah Library. The former St Joseph's Convent in Meson St Gayndah was in 2011 converted into an arts and cultural centre, The Gayndah Arts & Cultural Centre which also houses the Gaynah Art Gallery. Also located in Gayndah is the tourist attraction The Big Orange. Sister city Gayndah has one sister city, according to the Australian Sister Cities Association. * Zonhoven, Belgium References External links * University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Gayndah Category:Towns in Queensland Category:Settlements established in 1849 Category:1849 establishments in Australia Category:North Burnett Region